The Ties That Bind HOW DID THIS HIGH-PROFILE COUPLE SURVIVE THE “REALITY TV RELATIONSHIP CURSE?”

photos by mike ho text by dove clark

Multi-platinum recording artist Kid Ink and his wife Asiah Collins created a stir in the hip-hop community in 2017 when Asiah appeared on the E! TV reality series The Platinum Life. The vivacious beauty had always been a behind-the-scenes partner in her man’s career, while Kid Ink created a slew of hits, including chart-busting collaborations with the likes of Chris Brown, Fetty Wap and Usher. Would reality TV and newfound fame for Asiah be the end of a love-filled decade for the duo?

Thankfully for the couple, who are married and parents to a young daughter, the “curse” of reality television didn’t strike them down. Throughout the experience, Asiah actually maintained her dignity and took skills of co-manag- ing Kid Ink’s merchandising and the discipline of balancing family life to the next level as she completed culinary school. Meanwhile, Kid Ink began to slowly re-emerge with new music after a rather lengthy hiatus—a break he’d taken despite garnering those platinum-selling hits and hundreds of millions of plays on YouTube. INKED Mag sat down for a discussion with Kid Ink and Asiah to learn more about their journey and growth through fame, family and, of course, ink.

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lifestyle_master.indd 62-63 7/10/18 12:37 PM What inspires you to take your relationship to the What is it like raising kids in the social media What do you say if your daughter says “I want to next level? age? And how do you intend to deal with things if get a tattoo?” Kid Ink: Me, personally, probably subconsciously they approach you about being in the entertain- Asiah: Oh my God. We still don’t know what to I did not want to be in the same situation as my ment business? do about that! [laughs] parents. My father was gone when I was five, Kid Ink: Anything as far as entertainment or what Kid Ink: For me, personally, she’s just gonna have but even before he went to jail he wasn’t with my she wants to do with her life…I say give every- to ask. It’s never gonna be influenced on her. mom. thing a try. I don’t pressure anything. You could Growing up, I was the one in my family that had Asiah: Same here. My mom wasn’t married until go ahead and try, succeed and fail, learn your more than three tattoos. My mom had, like, three I was an adult and I didn’t have a lot of examples lessons, and see if you really have a love for it. or four tattoos but they were all hidden. of a two-parent household or marriage growing Asiah: Same with me. On my 16th birthday my up. My mom was a single mom with four kids. We Ink, what’s next for you? mom took me to get a matching tattoo with her. understand each other better than anyone else Kid Ink: The team of people around me under- In her mind she thought by doing that I would just could because of that. stands the new place we’re going with the music get it out of my system and over it [laughs] Little and in general with the brand Kid Ink, and how did she know that I would be sleeved up four How did you manage the created drama and we’re gonna do the next wave around. Musically, years later, so it kind of backfired on her. I don’t pressures of reality TV? I’m excited. I think I’m finally taking some steps in know. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we’re Asiah: I don’t think that was an issue for us. breaking through the TV and movie world with all there. Going into it, of course, I had reservations. You these tattoos. It’s definitely a struggle with that. I think about how everyone says there’s a reality gotta get a lot of makeup done. I think at the end What do each of you want people to know most TV curse on relationships. We’ve never really ever of the day that goes with the skill of acting, so I about you at this stage of your life? hidden things from each other. So that wasn’t gotta really take that seriously if that’s what I want Kid Ink: That we’re still having fun but it’s brand something that really affected us. to do too. new. We always want something new, different and exciting to go on, and I think that’s what Do you feel the show fast-tracked your career, or Ink, as far as your tattoos, is there anything that keeps everything fresh. do you feel you had to work harder to show that you haven’t done yet that you want to do? If so, Asiah: I want people to know that as young you were legit? why and where? women you can do it all. You do have to do things Asiah: I don’t think I had to fight harder to prove Kid Ink: As much as people think I’m fully covered at your own pace and that’s okay. I think I felt a anything to anyone else. I had to fight harder to up, it’s a lot of stuff that I haven’t dived into. I’m lot of pressure from people that I had to have it prove to myself how much I wanted it. I had to de- at the point now where I look at the armpit area, all figured out and be working toward goals so cide what was a priority to me: doing the show or back of the knees, front of the knees… I still have early in life, and maybe I wasn’t ready at that time. finishing culinary school and balancing that with two thighs I have to get done. I don’t think I’m But you can have everything you desire and want, being away from my daughter because prior to ready to hit the feet. and you could go after it when it’s the right time that, it was only me and Aislin. I didn’t really feel Asiah: Babe, you have nice feet. You shouldn’t for you. like I had to prove anything to anyone else. hide them. [laughs].

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